CDC confirms Kootenai flu case

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that a 60-year-old Kootenai County woman has been infected with H1N1 flu. According to the Panhandle Health District, the woman became ill after a recent trip to Texas. She has been recovering at home. The Kootenai County woman, who represents the first confirmed case of swine flu in Idaho, is retired and has had limited contact with other people since she began feeling ill, health district officials said. Spokane Health District spokeswoman Julie Graham said Sunday there has been no such confirmation for the two probable cases in Spokane County. “But the CDC has told us that more than 95 percent of tests results they’ve looked at have been positive for the swine flu,” she added. The swine flu, while no more dangerous than the seasonal flu that hits each year, has sparked a lot of fear after killing at least 19 people, possibly as many as 150, and sickening almost 500 in Mexico. Health officials urge people to use common-sense precautions against the virus, including washing hands frequently, covering mouths when coughing or sneezing, and staying home when sick.